Vanilla or Chocolate?
by QuidditchGirl30
Summary: AU. Challenge 2. Hermione convinces Harry to help her bake a cake. They experience a lot of things: rising potion, the explosion of the cake, sweet kisses, and the infamous question: 'Vanilla or Chocolate'


**Vanilla or Chocolate?**

**A/N: Challenge Number 2! This one was actually my idea, but FelixFelicius11 (Kate) sort of…used it on me. Ah well. Be prepared for yet another humorous story of pure fluffiness and pumpkin pie! And no rushed ending! Yes!**

**Enjoy!**

"I know I've called you mad before, Hermione…but now you've just lost it."

"Shut _up_, Ronald. Can't you see I'm _trying_ to knit?" Hermione snapped.

"A bloody _shirt_? And you **still** have yet to realize _the elves don't want them!_"

"Don't be silly. They'll love them. You'll see," she sniffed and lowered her eyes.

Ron sighed and rubbed his temples. "This is bloody mad. What's next? Cooking for them?"

He instantly regretted saying that.

Hermione looked up at both of them, a growing light in her eyes. "Of…of course! It's Dumbledore's birthday celebration tonight…we could bake the cake!"

Harry, who was witnessing the argument, turned to Ron. "You hear that, Ron? _**We could bake the cake**!_" he cried, his teeth clenched.

Ron's ears grew red. "Uh…sorry Hermione…I-I can't…I…er…um…I have a date!"

Hermione shifted and crossed her arms. "Do you?"

He gulped. "Yes?"

"Really?"

"Really, really."

"With who?"

He looked around, eyes widening. "Um…Luna! Yea, yea…speaking of her, I…have to go meet her. Well, have fun Harry!" Without another word, he raced off and disappeared into the portrait hole.

Harry, shocked, turned to find Hermione looking at him expectantly. He smiled weakly, trying to think of a good excuse.

Her face fell. "You don't want to," she whispered. Her eyes started to water.

He rushed over and sat down next to her. "No…no please don't cry, Hermione. I have to say, it wouldn't be my _first_ choice as to what to do on a snowy Saturday like today, but I'll do it."

She sighed heavily. "But you don't want to."

He gently grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him. "It doesn't matter, Hermione. All that matters is that you're happy. I'm going to help you bake the cake."

Her face lit up into a grin. She hugged him. "You're the best, Harry!"

He smiled as he watched her cheerily pack up her books and bounce away. "Meet me in the kitchens at one o'clock!" she cried.

He sighed and stood up, preparing to get changed into suitable clothes when he realized something.

She just tricked him.

Into baking a** _cake_. **

**XXX**

"Dobby is grateful, Master Harry Potter. We be leaving on a vacation! Thank you, Harry Potter and his Miss!"

Hermione blushed crimson and cleared her throat loudly as Harry wandered around the kitchens, looking at different pots and pans. He looked up. "What?"

She sighed and looked back down at Dobby, who was shooing the other house-elves out of the kitchen. "Well, have fun Dobby!"

"Oh Dobby will, Harry Potter's Miss. We are grateful!"

The kitchen door closed and she wheeled around. "Couldn't have been more polite, could you?" she snapped.

He shrugged and examined a glass bottle full of a green liquid. "It seemed like you were handling the situation pretty well…did-did he just call you _my_ Miss?"

She blushed harder. "I…I guess."

His face broke out into a grin. "That's pretty funny."

Slightly disheartened, Hermione attempted a smile. "Yea…"

Harry looked around. "Maybe we could…you know…"

"No," she said firmly. "The house-elves make the food hand-made. So we should do the same."

She thought she heard a groan from him, but she shot him a glare and he shut up. "Now let's get the ingredients."

He nodded and pulled out the flour and the sugar. Hermione looked around and opened a cabinet. "Should we make it chocolate or vanilla?" she asked.

She turned around to find him pondering the same question. "Well, vanilla is probably easier…" he trailed off.

"Since mostly everyone is away for the holidays, only a few people would be eating it…"

"…I sort of like vanilla better…"

"…And Ron wouldn't care…"

They looked at each other. "Vanilla," they said in unison.

Hermione started to mix the ingredients while Harry made the icing. She watched him as he poured the sugar into the bowl. She absentmindedly dumped the flour in, creating a cloud around her. She coughed and waved her hand out in front of her. She heard him laugh and turned around. At the sight of her white face, he doubled over, clutching his sides. She smiled slightly, but couldn't stop the rush of love toward him. Here he was, the day before Christmas Eve, baking a cake just because it made _her _happy.

"Hey, Harry?"

His laughter ceased, but his smile remained. "Yea?"

She returned the smile. "Thank you."

He frowned. "For what?"

"For helping me bake this cake."

"Oh," he laughed. "Yea, well…anytime."

She returned to her bowl in an attempt to hide her blush. "How about adding some…yeast to it?"

She looked up to find his face contorted. "_Yeast_? Are you _crazy_?"

She blushed harder. "I never was a good cook…"

"Yea, well, _that's_ obvious," his expression softened at her hurt look. "Sorry…you don't use yeast in cake…unless you want it to rise…"

"Well that's why I suggested it…"

"We'll make a couple of layers, OK? That way it'll look tall. We don't want to add any rising potion. _Trust me,_" he laughed.

She nodded and looked down at her shoes. After a few minutes of awkward silence she sighed and turned back around. She opened a cabinet in search for some vanilla extract, but ended up knocking over a few bottles. She cursed under her breath and started picking them up, but didn't notice one of them was dripping into her bowl.

"You alright?" Harry asked.

Hermione nodded and picked up the last bottle, reading the label: _Mrs. Hobbs' Rising Potion_. She shrugged and turned the lid, making sure t was closed. It wasn't. She gasped quietly as she realized the potion had leaked into her bowl. She looked over her shoulder, making sure Harry hadn't seen what happened. She gulped and hoped that not many drops had been added to the mixture.

After all the ingredients were made, Harry helped her pour the batter into a round tray and they both put it in the oven. Hermione smiled as they watched it, shoulders brushing. She felt her face heat up. _What is happening to me_?

He grinned at her as they stood. "We make a pretty good team, Hermione."

"Yea. We do."

He draped an arm around her shoulders. "So…did you get my Christmas present yet?"

She laughed softly. "_Yes_, Harry. You will like it very much, if I do say so myself."

He grinned and kissed her cheek. She blushed. "What was that for?"

He shrugged. "Dunno. You're just the best ever."

She looked at him oddly but they waited in peace for the cake to finishing baking.

Hermione smiled in pride as Harry pulled out the finished cake and started to add the icing.

After a half an hour of applying icing, they both stood admiring their work.

"Brilliant."

"Oh, Harry! Thank you so much!" she cried, flinging her arms around him.

They held each other for a while before Harry gasped. "Oh, sweet _Merlin_!"

Hermione slowly turned, bracing herself for the worst. And it was just as she imagined. The cake was slowly rising in length and width. A slow rumbling sound started, seeming as if it was about to blow.

She gripped his arm as they both started backing up. "Hermione…" he breathed.

"Yea?"

"Are you…_sure_ you didn't put _anything _in that would cause it to rise?"

The cake continued to grow; all the while Harry and Hermione were still backing up.

"Well, there might've been _some_ potion that _accidentally _dripped in…"

"Oh dear Merlin."

All of a sudden, the cake exploded, knocking them both on the ground. Cake flew everywhere, shrouding the whole kitchen in icing and vanilla cake.

Hermione landed on top of Harry, their legs entwined and her head on his chest. They lay there, not quite believing what just happened. They were covered in icing and batter.

"Her…Hermione?"

She moaned breathlessly in response.

"The cake just…exploded," he whispered. The idea sounded ridiculous. Harry burst out laughing. Hermione crawled off of him and sat in a state of shock. He sat up as well, still caught up by laughing.

"I…I…" she breathed. Without warning, she started crying hysterically.

Harry, startled, wrapped his arms around her. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I-we…you just went through…all that trouble for me…to end up having to do it…all…over again!" she sobbed into his chest.

He smiled and pulled away so that he could see her face. "Don't worry about it, 'Mione. I got to spend a lot of time with you!" he smiled, but then realized the last remark didn't help her sniffles. "Listen, Hermione. If there was _anyone_ that would want to do this with, it would be you."

She smiled slightly. "Really?"

He returned the smile and wiped away her tears. "Really."

She frowned. "Not even Ron?"

He shook his head in mock horror. "You've got to be bloody joking! He would eat everything before we could make the batter!"

Hermione laughed at his insult. "Harry…you have icing on your cheek."

He smirked. "Oh, really? Well, could you get it off me?"

With a shaky hand, she wiped off the icing and stuck it in her mouth. "Mmmm," she grinned happily. Their expressions softened. She found herself leaning in. He brushed his nose against hers. '_Oh bloody hell, what am I doing?'_ she thought frantically. Before they could get any further, she jumped up and started walking toward the counter.

"We should really start making another cake, you know. The celebration is now only about two hours away-."

"Hold on!" he cried coming up next to her. She blushed under his gaze and looked up.

His intense emerald eyes had her quivering. "What?"

His expression. "You have icing on you."

She wiped off her face and forehead. "Is it gone?"

"No."

"Then…where is it?"

"Right here," he replied, capturing her lips with his. The bowl in her hands dropped and shattered onto the floor, but it went unnoticed. Her hands snaked through his hair as his wound around her waist. He let out a low moan and deepened the kiss. Hermione smiled against his lips. It was a moment of innocence and pure bliss.

Due to the lack of air, they pulled apart. Hermione kept her eyes closed, not wanting the moment to end.

He pulled away and went back to the counter. "I guess we'll discuss this later?"

She nodded, temporarily at a loss for words.

He smirked. "So…what flavor should we make it now?"

She hooked on quickly. "I always sort of liked chocolate better…"

"…And Ron wouldn't care…"

They looked at each other. "Chocolate."

**A/N: Well there you go. I've typed for like, three hours and my fingers are KILLING me! Haha. So I hoped you liked it. I'm like Hermione, I can't cook…so I hope I at least have SOME ingredients. Ah well. Hope you enjoyed all the fluffiness!**

**QuidditchGirl30**


End file.
